Improvement in cigar-machines



w. w. H'USE. Cigar Machine.

No. 31.390. Patented Feb. 12, I861.

N. PETERS. PIwlc-Lhhognphar. washin wu. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLTAM TV. HUSE, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CIGAR-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 31,390. dated February 12, L961.

To rrZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that'I, V. \V. HUsE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Making Cigars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse section through the improved cigar-making machine, taken in the vertical plane indicated by the red line was in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the machine, taken in the vertical plane indicated by ,the red line y y in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top view of the improved machine, in which portions of two of the upper rollers are broken away to exhibitthe spring pressing-head. Fig. 4 is a detailed view of one of the rollers which carries one of the conical cap-formers. Fig. 5 represents a roller with a curved surface,- which may be used in the place of straight rollers. v

Similarletters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in the several figures.

My invention and improvements in machines for making cigars consist, first, in combining in a suitable manner with a cylinder of rollers two or more rotary conical cap-formers, which may'have sharp cutting-edges at the circumference of their bases. the nearest point of "contact of which edges with each other being,

in or nearly in a line with the axis of-thecyl inder of rollers, as will be hereinafter described, whereby the cap of the cigar will be formed and the point out off before the cigar is re moved from the machine; secondly, in arranging in one end of the cylinder ofrollersa pressing-head'which is so acted upon by a spring as to keep the cigar up to the cap-formers during the operation of forming the cap on the cigar, as will be hereinafter described; thirdly, in the use of an adjustable pressure-roller, in combination with a feed-table, for guiding the wrappers to the work, and also keeping them smooth and under the proper degree of ten sion, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a bed or table on which the mechanism is mounted and suitably secured.

B B are two bearing-blocks, which, with the longitudinal bar B and table or shelf 0, constitute the lower part of the frame for carrying the lower series of rollers, a a a a. The upper frame consists, also, of two bearing-blocks,

D D, and a longitudinal bar, D, which connects these blocks together at their rear ends, and this latter frame carries the upper series of rollers, b b b, and the feed-roller 0. These two roller-carrying frames are hinged together by suitable hinges at d d,'wl1ichallow the front part of the upper frame to be raised upand thrown back for placing the fillers inthe machine jan d for removing the cigar when finishedl. A spring, a, is secured to the lower 'bar, B", '\vhieh' projects upward and inward, 1

and operates upon a forked arm portion, 6, which is secured to and projects inward from the bar D of the upper frame, and throws the upper frame back when it is released from the" lower frame by the spring thumb-catch e. This catch 0 is a curved piece with a hook on its lower end, which piece is pivoted to one end of the bearing-block D of the upper frame, and the piece being acted upon bya spring,

0", it is caused to catch under a pin, f, .which' with their surfaces nearly touching each other. 1

The rollers b I) b 0 have their end bearings in the upper bearing-blocks, D I), and the axis of these rollers are also arranged in a semicircle describcd froma common center with the lower rollers, and the surfaces of these upper rollers nearly touch each other. It will thus be seen that when the upper and lower bearing-blocks are brought together, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I have formed a cylinder of small rollers or round bars, whose axes are arranged in a circle pan allel to a common central axis. All of these rollers or bars a a a a and b b Z) c are rotated by the sheer-wheel E, (represented in Figs. 1, and 3,) the teeth of which engage with small pinion spur-wheels h, which are on one end of each bar or roller a a a a and b b b c. The spun,

wheel E is keyed to the inner end of a hollow driving-shaft, g, which has its bearings in one of the lower blocks B, and in an auxiliary bearing-block, F, which is on the outside of the blockB. vThe axis-of this shaft is in a line with the axis of the cylinder of rollers.

G is a grooved pulley-wheel which is keyed to the outer end of shaft over whicha driving-cord may pass for communicating-motion.

from any convenient prime mover to the spurwheel E. Spur-wheel E with its pinions are represented in Fig. 3 of the drawings within the cylinder of rollers but it willbe seen that this wheel E and its pinions nay be placed 'outside of the block B and work equally as diameterof a circle described within the cyl-; inder of rollers and touching each roller.. This circular head i is put within the cylinder of rollers, and its rod H is passed through the axis of shaft g, so as to project more or less from the outer end of this shaft 9, and on this outer end of the rod H an adj usting-nut, j, is screwed, its end abutting against the end of shaft 9. With this .nut j the rod H can be adjusted endwise. A spring, k, is coiled around the rod. '11, one end of which acts against the head "i, and the other end bears against the inside surface of the bearing-block B, so as to force the head out toward the opposite endof the machine in a direction with the length of its rod H.

On the opposite end of the machine to the pressing-head 1', two funnel or conical shaped portions, J J, are placed, the smaller ends of which are secured to the ends of two: of the rollers a b, which are diametrically opposite each other. The axis of each of these portions J J is in a line with the roller to which it is secured, andthe smaller ends of these portions J J are equal in diameter to the ends of their respective rollers. The radii of the bases of those portions J J are equal to the radius of a circle described within the cylinder of rollers touching the axis of each-roller.

, Thus it will be seen that the edges of the bases of these portions J J will touch each other at a point which is in a line with the axis of the cylinder of rollers. These edges are sharpened and kept sharp for cutting off the point and for finishing the cap of the cigar, asrepresented in Figs. 2 and 3. The shape of the cap-forming portions J J is represented iii Figs. 3 and 4. They are continuations of their respective rollers, forming truncated cones with concave sides, so that when the point of the cigar is forced up between these rotating portions J J, by the pressure of spring K at the opposite end of the cigar, they will give the desired tapering-pointed shape to the cigar and wind the wrapper around the point of the cigar, so as to form in a neat and perfect manner what is technically called the cap,

after which the circular cutting-edges of these formers J J will cut off the extreme point of the cap. These cap-forming portions J J may be attached to the endsof any two of the rollers which are diametrically opposite each other in the circle, and these portions J J shoul 11 be attached to the ends of their respective rollers, as represented in Fig. 4., so as not to leave broken or uneven surfaces. The center portions of the bearing-blocks B and D at the end of the machine carrying the formers J J are cut away, as represented in Fig. 2,so thatthe surfaces of the'rollers ac aa'and b b b 0-, which have one of their end bearings in the blocks B D, will project beyond the inside edges of these bean ing-bloc'ks, thus leaving a circular opening in this end of the machine equal in diameter to a, circle described within the cylinder of rollers touching the surface of each roller. This opening through the bearing-blocks B D in the cap-forming end of the machine allows the end of the cigar to be pressed up against the concave surfaces ofeap-formers' J J by spring k. The front end of the upper segmental bearingblock D does not touch the surface of the lower bearing-block D, but a space is left under this front end of block D sufficient to allow the wrapper to pass under it and be received by the cap-formers J J, as represented in Fig. 2.

L is a roller which has its end bearings in the ends of the arms g, which arms are rigidly secured to one end of a rod, K, Theopposite end of rod K passes through an eye in a stand ard, N, Fig. 1, which is pivoted to the top of bar D of the upper roller-carrying fra1ne,and. at a point which is about the middle of the length of this bar D. The pivoted standard N allows the rod K, with its rollers L, to be vibrated horizontally, and the set-screw n allows the rod K to be adjusted in a direction with its length, and serves to fix the rod Kto' standard N at any desired point. The roller L is allowed to turn freely in its hearings in arms g g, and the standard N keeps the roller down with the desired pressure on the surface of table 0, and allows the roller to be adjusted to any desired angle with the-axis of the feedroller 0.

The rollers a a a a and b b b c inay hemade cylindrical, tapering, or their surfaces may be shaped so as to conform to the shape of the cigar, as represented in Fig. 5, which it may be desired to make in the machine. These rollers may all be set in adjustable bearingblocks, which will allow them to be adjusted radially with the axis of the cylinder of roll ers, foradapting the machineto cigars of different diameters; or, if more desirable, the.

mover, and this belt should be so arranged that the motion of the wheel G may be reversed or stopped at pleasure. This pulley G being keyed fast to the shaft 9, it rotates this shaft and also the spur-wheel E. Spur-wheel E engages with the pinions h of the rollers art a a and b b b c, and rotates these rollers in the direction indicated by the arrows, ;Figs.'1 and 2. The pressure-roller Lis now' adjustedat the proper angle'with the axis of feed-roller c and at the proper distance from this roller 0)? The cap-formers J J, being secured to-rollers aand b, are rotatedwith their respective rollers, and when. all these parts are properly adjusted and set in motion scraps of tobaccoleaf su-flicient to form the filling of .a cigar are put within the cylinder of rollers, either by feeding them under roller 0 or by detaching the catch'piece c from .pin f, so as toallowspring at to force the upper 'i'rame of rollers 'back, as representedin redlines, Fig. 2 ,when the scraps can be all put intothe machine at "the same time, after which the frame D D D is closed and latched down in its place. The next operation is to wrap the pieces of leaf, which'hav e-been put in the cylinder of rollers, with the first wrapping-leaf. This leaf, which is previously cut of the proper size and shape by suitable machinery adapted to the purpose, is placed on the table 0, and its edge put under the feed-roller c, which conducts the leaf into the cylinder, and the rollers composing this cylinder carry the leaf around the pieces of tobacco and completely envelope these pieces. The next operation is to put the final wrapper around the filler and to complete the cigar. The wrappers are all previously cut out of the proper, shape and size by suitable machinery, and these wrappers are cut with 'referenceto the operation of the winding-rollers and the cap-formers so that they will be wound around the body and point of the fillers in a neat and perfect manner. A wrapper of. thisdescription is placed on the table 0, the rollers a a a a and b b I) c all being in motion, and drawn under the pressure-roller L,which smoothes and straightens the wrapper. The proper end of this wrapper is then put under the iced-roller c, which instantly draws the end of this leaf into thecylinder of rollers and brings it into contact. with the filler, which -is kept in constant rotation by therollers, which all press against it. The end ofthe wrapper is now wound around the filling, and as the work. of winding progresses the wrapper is guided up to the workby the'rollers L, which, together with the feed-roller c, keeps thewrapper under constant and proper tension until the operation of forming the cap on the cigar commences,when the capping end of the wrap per leaves the pressure-roller L and is drawn under the front end of 'the bearing-block D (at this end of the machine) between the rotating cap-formers J J. At this point in the operation of the machine it will be seen by reference to Fig. 3 that the spring It will force the head i (it having been properly adjusted by set-screw j) against the end of the cigar, and this will force the cigar endwise' and press the point of the cigar up closely against the concave sides of the portions J J. As the end of the wrapper is finally wound around the pointed end of the cigar by the formers -J J,

these formers give the swelled tapering shape to the point, and their knife-edges will cut off the sharp point of the tobacco, leaving the cap perfectly formed. The cap may be properly pasted by running one of the cap-formers in a thin solution of any suitable gum; or this past ing or gumming may be. done with the fingers just before the extreme end ,of the wrapper is ,rolled down on the cigar.

For making cylindrical or taperingcigars be removed from the machine. These capformers' J J maybe removed and larger or smaller ones used in their-stead, according to the length and taper it is desired to give-the caps'of the cigars. The cigar having now been finished, the upper rollercarrying frame is raised, and this cigar is taken out of the machine to continue the operation, as above .described. When the roller is once adjusted to the proper angle with the feed-roller 0, there will be no further troublein guiding the wrapper tothe work in a proper manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

v 1. The rotating cap-formers J J, constructed substantially as herein described, in combination with the head I, adjustable rod H, and spring k, or their equivalents, for keeping the cigar up to the work of forming the cap.

2. The adjustable pressu re-r'oller L, arranged and operated as described, in combination with the table 0, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The arrangement of the several parts or their equivalents, substantially as described, and operating as a whole in the manner and for the purposes stated.

WILLIA wnusn.

Witnesses:

G. W. COWIAN, M. M. LIVINGSTON.

which are not capped, the portionsJ J may 

